Hey guys,
I've been homeschooling for three years now. My oldes started grade 3 this year and my second boy is in grade one this year. Next year my daughter will be starting K. I was a 'correspondance' kid for most of my school years and my mom really enjoyed teaching us three kids. I also enjoyed the first year and a half of my kids homeschooling, but I've so lost the joy of it.
Now, I do have depression problems, and I know that's a huge part of it. I am on meds and getting help (yet again) to try ballance myself more, but I think I'm hating "school time" more than my kids do these days! I am NOT even close to wanting to send the kids to school, but I'm getting so frusterated lately. I get anxious when I'm sitting with them, I feel like I should be doing something else. When I do, imediatly they "need" me and I get frusterated because it feels like too much at once. I find it really hard to teach both boys at once since they still both need so much attention. All the curriculums I found so far are so parent involved. I can't just say, "Ethan, go to page 100 and read the lesson" No, I have to "teach" it to him then go through the lesson work with him, meanwhile I have Levi at my elbow because he can't even read yet and need constant help. It drives me crazy... (Yes, yes, I know, I'm technically 'crazy' already How do I get through the next few years untill they can all read their lessons on their own? I know it'll happen some day, but untill then??? I've tried an online curriculum this year, the only Canadian one I could find: linkonlearning. It's ok, but doesn't quite mesh with what the boys have done so far. Is this all the fault of me being 'sick'? What can I do? Any suggestions????
HELP PLEASE
Tiia

hi again gals,
I'm starting to think seriously about putting the boys into school for a year or two. I'm just not getting my brain together and their school work is suffering because of it. I'm not thrilled about it, but I'm starting to think it might be a good thing all around. The kids would get the experience of school and the subjects that I can't teach at home: gym for example. And I would get a "break" in a way to be able to really work on getting better. I could start the next year fresh, with a plan and hopefully more energy to keep going.
Hubbie and I are going to talk about it tonight. If we decide to it wont be untill after the holidays as we're moving in December and that way the boys wouldn't have to deal with all the Christmas stuff right off the bat.
One of the sad things is that I have the boys a year ahead in their work, but I'd have to put them in their "correct" grades in regular shcool, so it would feel all that work with them was wasted in a way. Oh well, I'll update when we're closer to a descision.
Thanks for your ears!
Tiia

I hate to hear it, but at the same time, I understand. I put my two oldest in PS for a couple of years, when my 3rd son was born. I could never quite make myself feel right about it. Yet, there were things to learn from that period. I wish I had never put them in AND I'm glad we experienced it... at the same time. Now, we have 4 sons! It is uber-crazy but we love it!

It is a very personal decision. It is good that you and your husband are going to hash it out. You will do what is best for your family... I have no doubt.

Well...
We've pretty much decided to put them in school, I even bought them backpacks today... Then we were at a get to gether tonight and a friend of a friend, who's homeschooled her two boys (10 and 13) said she'd NEVER put her kids in school. (I had heard she had been thinking about it and asked her, guess I'd heard wrong!) But it made me feel bad as that is really the way I feel too. Sigh... maybe the new prescription I got will help b4 January and we wont have to! But I'm still stuck on which curriculum to use. I NEED a FULL curriculum for the sake of my sanity. We've been doing a la carte so far and it's just too much. I end up leaving off any "unnessesary" subjects, like music and art because all I can manage is the needed ones, Lang. Arts and Math. If I had it all neatly organized into one "box" so to speak I think I'd be able to do it all, which would be a lot more fun for all of us.
What I'm finding though is that so many curiculums are super one-on-one intensive. I can't do that. I have to be able to give the work to the one and have him DO it without me while I deal with the other one.
Do you guys know which curriculums might work for us that way? Also, the price is a factor with us. A friend is using an Abeka for her daughter this year (she was given it by someone who'd never used it) which I like, mostly (except we are Canadian so the math is different to an extent, and there is a degree of patriotic and holiday content that do not coinside with our religious beliefs), but it is SOOOO pricey. I checked out the selling boards here so maybe we could do it that way, but who's to say we'll always be able to find the correct grades?
I'm finding there are, on one hand, too many choices, and on the other, not enough.
So as you may be able to gather, I'm still stuck! Any help or ideas?
Tiia

Wow, ok, so it's going to seem that I vascillate alot, but I'm feeling much better and excited about this:
I went to your curriculum threads and checked through them for ideas. I checked out a couple and then I saw one on the Robinson Method.
I remember it from the HS book, that I'd liked it. I had a few issues with it at the time and forgot about it. Well, those issues are gone now that I have a couple years experience under my belt and after checking out his site and watching the lecture video on the home page I am thinking this will work for us.
I wont have to be with each child constantly and Ethan can do his own work now that he can read well which gives me time to finish teaching Levi to read and START teaching Ezri (who untill now has got the LEAST attention, being the youngest!) The cost is also AMAZING in comparission with most others. I'm very excited about it.
So, thank you for this site as it helped me find a way to keep my kids OUT of school and me out of the insane asylum !!! I just have to show my hubbie what I've found and I think he'll be great with it too as we both love books and he really doesn't want to have to send the kids to school either. I am SO relieved right now!
I'll check in again after we've started it to let everyone know how it's going!
Tiia